Members of an Upstate family say they were betrayed by a long-time friend who is accused of sexually assaulting two young girls who shared their home with him.

The women said they took in 58-year-old Marshall Dewitt McGaha and thought he was a Godsend because of his help with cooking and cleaning and helping with the 7- and 8-year-old girls.

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One of the women who shared the home with McGaha said, These are sick children. They're almost handicapped.

She said she saw a different side of McGaha last week when he was caught putting a dog leash around the 8-year-old girls neck, forcing her into the house.

The woman, who is not being identified to protect the identities of the children, said, He made threats several times -- You call and tell them I choked her with the dog collar and I will kill you.

She said after the choking incident, the girls said that McGaha had been sexually abusing them for more than a year.

Greenville County deputies said McGaha is charged with two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor under 11, two counts of committing lewd act upon a child under 16 and one count of unlawful neglect of a child.

Investigators said that between March 14, 2009, and last Wednesday, McGaha sexually assaulted the sisters.

McGaha was arrested on Aug. 15.

He is being held without bond in the Greenville County Detention Center.

One of the three women who lives in the home said, He's in jail now and I hope he never, ever gets out.

(It) still hurts, still bothers me. (Its) something you don't want to believe.

The women said they also think that McGaha could have other victims.

I want to speak out not only for my family but if there are any other victims out there that recognize his face on the news, I want to encourage them to step forward. Parents, it doesn't matter if your child is a girl or a boy.

He's 58 years old, one said. This isn't something he just started.